It's time to get out from behind your laptop

Let's get together.

Apr 23, 2026

On wanting to clone myself.

It happens pretty much every time.

I’m invited to attend something or I hear about an IRL or online event via a friend, a fellow female founder, or some form of digital media (email, social) on a particular day and time, and I decide I’m going. Then that process repeats itself. So that inevitably there are two to three places I want to be (virtually or in person) at exactly the same time on the same day.

The latest… I host a monthly gathering for female founders in Manhattan the last Tuesday of the month. For April that means Tuesday the 28th. Needless to say, I need to be at my own event.

Late last week I learned that Restauranteur and Author Will Guidara would be doing a live, in-person event at Barnes & Noble Union Square to talk about and sign his new book “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide.”

I loved “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect.” So much so that I considered attending his second annual The Summit gathering in Nashville, before ultimately deciding against it. So when I saw that he was going to be in New York, I knew I wanted to be there. Until I saw the date and time. Which is, of course, at the same time as my monthly founder salon.

Hence my wanting to clone myself.

Prioritizing IRL events.

One of the shifts I made going into 2026 was to prioritize IRL events over virtual group meetups. I still attend webinars on topics I want to learn more about and those held by founder friends I want to support. But when it comes to networking, I’m focusing on those spaces where I can meet people in the flesh.

And I’ve shifted my language to accompany this change. I’m no longer “networking,” I’m “connecting.” I changed the title of my Google Tracking Sheet and my associated Gmail folder to reflect that.

And you know what? It feels better. I really don’t like networking but I do love connecting. So that’s what I do now.

When you connect, especially in-person, conversations stick, you associate people with their ideas, you get ideas for ways to help and connect beyond event. For me, this is the basis of good business and new opportunities.

Planting seeds.

Often you don’t know where these connections will lead.

Good things take time.

Growth isn’t linear.

You can put in a ton of work meeting new people, following up, reaching out, pitching, marketing yourself in a certain way, essentially “doing all the things,” and the results may not be immediately visible.

This is where I see founders get frustrated and want to give up or do something else… now. Note, I struggle with this right along with you.

That’s when I ask:

Is it really not working?
Are you really doing everything you can, consistently?
Have you given it enough time to get the result you’re looking for?

The reality is you can’t predict when and how the seeds you plant today will bloom. You need to plant them anyway. You need to do the work anyway.

Because there’s growth happening underground. And when things do start working, it can happen quickly. You need to be ready.

I came across this Instagram Reel last week. It touches on so many of these points in terms of the creative process. And to be clear, I consider building a business to be a creative process.

“Resting time is making time.” Amen to that.

April

Tuesday, April 28 at 3 pm EDT — Redefining Prosperity for Female Founders with Watch Her Prosper Founder Ruchi Pinniger

May

Wednesday, May 6 at 11 am EDT — “The Big Unlock: Liberate Your Creativity Through Mindful Journaling” with Author, Creative Coach, and AllSwell Creative Founder Laura L. Rubin

Wednesday, May 13 at 12 pm EDT — Brand Strategy with Soul with Strategic Growth Partner and Fractional CMO Katerina Simonova-Liggio

Tuesday, May 19 at 1 pm EDT — “The Anti-Marriage Pact,” Creative Channeling, and Overcoming the Starving Artist Narrative with Writer and Creativity Coach Lindsay MacMillan

I hope you’ll join us.

And a few pre-postscript p.s.’s.

Did you know that can listen to my Substack Live conversations in audio mode?
1. Here’s the link to the show on Spotify
2. You’ll find it in Apple Podcasts (I’m having trouble finding it, but a friend showed me it in the queue in her Apple Podcasts app, and I can see the podcast download in my stats, so I know it’s there)
3. In the Substack App, just click on the headset icon for audio-only mode
If you’re in the New York area and you’re not yet on the invite list for my monthly Business/Women Salon, just reply to let me know you’d like to be added. I chose a spot near Union Square that’s central for those coming Brooklyn, Downtown and Uptown Manhattan, and New Jersey. I’ll send you the details for April.
If you’re interested in Will Guidara’s unreasonable hospitality philosophy, he has a bi-weekly newsletter called Pre-Meal. The latest issue tells the story of a gas station that has a popcorn stand installed between the pumps. Simple, yet oh so powerful.
One other language adjustment I made late last year was (in most cases) replacing “but” with “and” (see exception above). As in, “The call went well AND next time let’s make sure to move more quickly to the business topics so we get through the agenda.” Normally it would have been a “but,” and now it’s an “and.” It sets up just about any statement you make to be more positively received by the listener. One client told me she’s using it now in her business and with her partner. #gamechanger

Until next time.

Katherine